“There are times that all we want to do is sit back on the couch and take in a good movie. With this new functionality it’s as simple as finding the show on your Android smartphone or tablet and pressing play – it’ll be on the TV instantly,” said Mike Raath, ShowMax chief technology officer in a statement.

The company also announced an Apple TV application.

The service supports fourth generation Apple TVs and AirPlay works on previous versions.

The Naspers-owned [JSE:NPN] company is driving its on-demand TV product as it competes both with in-house offering, DStv BoxOffice and global giant Netflix which has launched in SA.

“One way or the other, we aim to have a solution for anyone wanting to watch ShowMax using whichever device is most convenient,” said Raath.

The company said that Chromecast support will only work on devices running Android 4.1.0 (Jelly Bean) or higher as well as the latest version of the ShowMax app.